Australian man detained in Iraq

An Australian man suspected of being a Saddam Hussein loyalist is in British custody in Iraq, Foreign Affairs Minister Alexander Downer said yesterday.

The 45-year-old man, from Adelaide, was detained by British troops on November 21 during a raid on a house alleged to contain people loyal to the former Iraqi dictator, Mr Downer said.

The man was arrested in the port city of Umm Qasar.

"He is now in British custody," Mr Downer told reporters in Adelaide.

"The Australian representative office in Baghdad will be making contact with him during the course of today.

"His case will be reviewed by the British on Tuesday, with a view to working out what they're going to do with him and what association he had with the Saddam Hussein loyalists while he was in the house.

"We're not certain and nor are the British certain of what he was doing with those people."

Mr Downer said the name of the man, who was working with an international company in Iraq, would not be released until Tuesday's review.

He said it was too early to say what, if any, charges the man could face.

"It's conceivable he could be released on Tuesday; it's [also] conceivable they could decide to charge him under the Geneva conventions as a combatant in a war if he was seen to be participating with Saddam Hussein elements attacking coalition forces," Mr Downer said.

"There may be offences under existing Iraqi law as well that he could be charged with."

Mr Downer said a number of Iraqis in the house were also detained during the raid.

He said the Federal Government was surprised to hear an Australian had been linked with Saddam Hussein supporters.

"It was quite a surprise to hear an Australian was found with a group of people who, at least the British believes, are Saddam Hussein loyalists," he said.

"But more light needs to be thrown on this before we can really draw any conclusions at all.

"We just, frankly, don't know enough about what he could have been doing with those people in that house at that time."

Iraqis loyal to the former regime are believed to be responsible for a wave of car bombings, assassinations and rocket attacks on coalition forces inside Iraq.

Mr Downer said the raid was another step forward in the coalition's attempt to bring peace to the country.

"It's important that the coalition forces track down these Saddam Hussein loyalists, who in the end are perpetrating so many of the attacks that are taking place," he said.

"I'm not saying these people in the house were involved in those attacks. We have far too little knowledge of these people to know what their involvement in previous attacks have been.
"This is part of a work in progress but this [the detention by British troops] is a good step forward."

Opposition foreign affairs spokesman Kevin Rudd said he was confident Australia's ambassador to Baghdad, Ian Mules, would ensure the detainee was given consular access as soon as practical.

"That's important given the fact that Iraq at present is without proper legal processes," said Mr Rudd, who was in Baghdad about a week ago.

Mr Rudd said he expected no problem from British security forces in Iraq allowing the Adelaide man access to Australian consular officials.

"The British know that individuals such as this, whatever they are accused of doing, have a legitimate entitlement to consular access ... and also proper access to legal advice," he said.